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Natalie is a sober mom devoted to recovery, spiritual awakening, and conscious healing. Through lived experience, deep self reflection, and radical honesty, she speaks about what it truly means to choose sobriety, face grief and loss, and rebuild a life rooted in self trust and inner peace. Her journey centers on surrender, resilience, and learning to live aligned with truth rather than survival. Natalie believes sobriety is not just the absence of substances, but the presence of self. One day, one choice, and one awakening at a time.

You can find her on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/thesoberglowgetter

David Goggins - Can't Hurt Me

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Requiem For a Dream - Darren Aronofsky

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Ash’s relationship with alcohol began at sixteen, drinking Lambrini down the park with her friends. For many years, alcohol was her idea of fun. It led her into dangerous situations, and many of the negative experiences she carries would not have happened had she not been drinking.

As she got older, her drinking evolved. Park benches turned into sophisticated nights out and glasses of Whispering Angel on the sofa. But alongside this shift, her hangovers grew heavier and more debilitating. They began to affect her mental health and erode her self worth, leaving her feeling like a horrible person in the aftermath.

Around six years ago, Ash’s sober curious journey began. She picked up quit lit, educated herself, and started following sober accounts on Instagram. A quiet but powerful seed was planted, the idea that life could be lived differently.

After many ups and downs and several sober stints, at thirty three she decided to give sobriety a real try and see what life could look like without wine. Becoming a mum made the decision feel more meaningful. She wanted to take it seriously and be the best role model she could be for her daughter.

Ash realised she had been getting through life while drinking, but she wanted more than just okay. She wanted a life where she wakes up with a spring in her step and finds joy in the simple, booze free moments 🌱
You can find Ash on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/boozefreesparkle

Sober Stories From Everyday People - Sassy Sober Mum

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Lucy Rocca - How to Lead a Happier, Healthier, and Alcohol-Free Life : The Rise of the Soberista

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We are the luckiest - Laura McKowen

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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Alex Leigh is a former international model turned sleep coach, mum of two, and midlife transformation advocate. After years of pushing through stress, burnout, and using alcohol as a coping mechanism, she reached a point where she knew something had to change.

Choosing sobriety became the catalyst for everything - better sleep, better boundaries, stronger body, clearer mind. At 47, she is living proof that it’s never too late to rebuild your life from the ground up.

Through her online platforms, Alex shares honest conversations about alcohol, nervous system regulation, sleep, discipline, motherhood, and what it really takes to stop playing small.

You can get Alex on her Insta at:
https://www.instagram.com/alex.leigh2.0?igsh=MW5lNDRycGg3NjgxbQ==

And the rest of her links on linktree:
https://linktr.ee/alexleigh2.0?utm_source=linktree_profile_share
Veronica Valli - Soberful
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Russell Brand - Recovery
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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Kaitlin is over three years sober and passionate about turning her past into purpose. Having experienced the challenges of addiction firsthand, she now uses her voice to bring hope to those who are still struggling. She believes that no one is too far gone for recovery and that sharing our stories is one of the most powerful ways to heal and connect.

You can find Kaitlin on instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/soberasamotherfocused

and on Tik Tok
https://www.tiktok.com/@soberasamotherfocused

Addicted to Recovery Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/addicted-to-recovery/id1727956037

Rachel’s Holiday - Marian Keyes
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Again Rachel - Marian Keyes
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One Day
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Thirteen
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328538/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug stats
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/substances-risk-factor-vs-direct-deaths

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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Cameron Kidd. 34 years young and grew up pretty normal, loving parents, big family, good mates. Nothing dramatic. A few run ins at school, few family arguments, a tiny bit of abuse. But nothing that screamed, “this lad’s gonna go completely off the rails.” At one point the biggest thing in my world was playing football with my mates. Then suddenly all I cared about was getting fucked up...drugs, booze, chaos, repeat.

My weekends were basically measured in how smashed I could get, how much shit I could shovel into my body, how many girls I could pull, and how little reality I had to feel. If I didn’t have a pocket full of gear, I felt like the whole weekend was a write off. There were nights I’d pumped so much shit into myself I genuinely left it up to the big man upstairs to decide whether I’d see another sunrise. And half the time the sun was already up and I was still out of my fucking mind.

After about 15 years of battering myself, I finally realised this was going to end one of two ways: I’d die physically, or I’d die spirituality/mentally. Did I really want to choose the bottom of a pint over love, connection, meaning, a life I actually gave a shit about? I didn’t think I had purpose. I didn’t think I was worth anything. So self-destruction felt easier.

Traveling Southeast Asia and meeting my girlfriend slowed things down, but I still had relapses. Still had those moments where I’d fall back into old habits. Eventually she gave me an ultimatum, and honestly, thank fuck she did. I got help. I started a program. I faced myself properly for the first time in my life.

During that time I was diagnosed with ADHD and suddenly a lot of my chaos made sense. The medication didn’t “fix” me, but it helped me grab hold of the ledge while I was falling into this black hole I’d been in for years. It gave me enough stability to start climbing back.

Now I’m over a year sober. I’ve started my podcast. I’ve got goals again, ambition again, a fucking pulse again. Sobriety gave me a chance. The diagnosis helped me understand myself enough to use it. I’m insanely grateful to the people who stood by me when they had absolutely no reason to. They’re the real heroes in this story.

I’m finally doing what I should’ve done a long time ago. Because nothing changes if you don’t change a fucking thing—and I desperately needed change.

Sobriety is hard. At the start it’s brutal. It feels like shit. It hurts. But there’s pain either way. There’s the pain of destruction that lasts forever, or the pain of growth that eventually passes. I’ve already paid in pain. Now I’m making sure it counts.

Follow Cameron on Insta:
https://www.instagram.com/tomupodcast?

And all of Cameron's other links here:
https://linktr.ee/tomupodcast

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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Anna Donaghey is a writer, coach, and host of the acclaimed podcast The Big Drink Rethink. A former advertising strategist, she brings insight, empathy, and humour to conversations about alcohol, identity, and intentional living. After quitting drinking after years of addiction, Anna set out to explore why so many capable, successful lives feel oddly undernourished, and how we reach for substitutes like alcohol when something deeper is missing.

In her debut book, ‘What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want’, Anna invites readers to get curious, explore their relationship with alcohol, reconnect with themselves, and create a life that nourishes them in genuine ways.

Buy Anna’s book - ‘What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want’

Amazon: https://amzn.to/47agUn2
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607

Connect with Anna:
Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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Emily is a creative, a dreamer, a dog lover and very grateful to be sober from alcohol. From the UK originally she now lives and works by the beach in Melbourne Australia.

You can find Emily on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/emchadbourne

Russel Brand - Freedom from our Addictions:

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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Donate:

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Musician Adrian Cox left home at the age of 15 to pursue a life of touring and making music as a profession. Not an easy task for anyone but as a 15 year old boy, Adrian easily fell into the trap of a life of drinking and drugs.

Still living the dream at aged 42, things are very different now. Although still travelling the world, having carved out a career as one of the most respected jazz clarinetists Internationally, he is 2 months off of 12 years without a drink and nearly 10 years with no cocaine. It’s been a hell of a journey including a hip replacement at aged 30 due to AVN caused by alcohol and few other tales (as you can imagine) to go with that!

Adrian now lives in Sweden and has found balance in touring, home life and the joys of the AA program, something he came to after 11 years.

You can find Adrian on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/ontheroadinrecovery

Drop the Rock, Steps 6&7 - Bill P Todd W and Sara S
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We Did OK, Kid - Anthony Hopkins
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My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Donate:

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